Improvement in car-couplings



l. HILDEBRAND.

Car-Couplings.

N0.l50,158, Patented April28,1874.

. in place to connect with the next car.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JoHN HILDERRAND, oF TANEvTowNAssIGNoR oF ONEHALF To HENRY sworE, oF FREDERICK COUNTY, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 150,158, dated April 28, 1874; application filed July 17,1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HILDEBRAND, of Taneytown, in the county of Carroll and State of Maryland, have invented a new and Improved ()ar-Goupling and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speciiication, in which- Figure 1 is a top-plan view of my improved coupling with a portion of its casing removed. Fig. 2 is a bottom-plan view, and Fig. 3 a side elevation.

Similar letters of reference in the accompanying drawings denote the same parts.

This invention relates to that class of carcouplings employing pivoted spring jaws, which grasp an enlargement or ball on the end of a coupling rod or shackle, and it has for its object to prevent the jaws from accidentally loosing their hold on the said enlargement, and at the same time provide for their ready openingin order to uncouple the cars when desired. To this end it consists, mainly, in providing the spring-jaws with arms extending back from the point where the jaws are pivoted, said arms being beveled on their proximate faces, having a wedge-shaped space between them, in which slides a correspondingly-shaped block, connected to the arms by suitable links, and operated by levers conveniently located, in such manner that, by being forced forward into the wedge-shaped space between the arms, the block will hold the jaws tightly closed, while by drawing it backward the j aws will be opened, as I will now proceed to describe.

In the drawings, A is a rectangular box bolted to the under side of the car-platform, provided with a suitable opening at the front, through which the draw-bar head projects. J are spring-jaws, pivoted together and to the box, daring at the ends to form the draw-bar mouth, and having a hemispheric opening or cavitybehind the mouth to receive the enlarged end of the coupling-bar, the mouth and cavity being connected by a throat, out of which the small part of the coupling-bar projects wllgn e jaws extend backward and form the arms K.,

by which the said jaws are opened, as shown in Fig. l. j are springs, which keep the jaws closed when the parts are in the position shown. Between the beveled faces of the arms K is a wedge-shaped block, B, sliding on a track, b, immediately beneath it, and connected to the arms K by straps of metal or links L, in such manner that when the block is drawn back the links willdraw the arms together and open the jaws. Ll Ll R T are links attached to the block B, and connecting with the operating-levers* the two first, L' L', with the lateral horizontal levers M M, which extend to the sides of the car, so as to be in convenient position for operation by a man standing on the ground at either side, as shown in Fig. l. The third link, R, extends through the rear end of the box, and connects, by means of the rods Q and 0 and curved lever P', with the front vertical lever N, the latter rising to the top of the car, as shown in Fig. 3. By this lever and its connections the coupling can be operated from the top of the car, and is thus especially adapted to freight-cars. The fourth link, T, connects with the upper lever S, which projects upward through the platform, and can be operated by a man standing thereon, as shown in Fig. 3. By means of these levers four places, none of which are dangerous, are provided with the means for coupling the cars.

When the cars are coupled and it is desired to lock them securely together, the block B is pressed forward until the pivot c, by which the links L are attached to the block, passes forward the line of attachment of the other ends, as shown in Fig. l. In this position a direct draft upon the coupling-bar cannot press the jaws apart, as the same force closes the arms, and the links press the wedge forward.

When it is desired to couple the cars, the block B is drawnback until the pivot c passes back of the line of attachment of the other ends of the links, in which position the drawhead can beforeed open by the entering coupling-bar. The are of the draw-bar mouth will receive and direct the coupling-bar from any position it can assume when the cars are of the same height. But to avoid the necessity of directing the link with the hand where the cars are of different height, I place across the under side of the draw-bar head arod, U, provided with a crank at either end, and a double crank n the middle, bent in such manner as to pass the end of the draw-bar mouth and raise the link or bar therein to such height as shall be required.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as newl. The lateral horizontal levers M M, in oombination with the links L L, sliding;` block B, and jaws J J.

2. The front vertical lever N and system of connecting-rods and levers O l? Q R, in oombination with the sliding block B and jaws J, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. The upper lever S and link T, in combination with the block B and jaws J, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

l JOHN HILDEBRAND. Witnesses:

MELVILLE CHURCH, NATHAN K. ELLsWoRTH. 

